Only You Can Reach My Heart
by ZutaraFan95
Summary: Mako gets caught up with the Triple Threats
1. Chapter 1

Mako and Korra both grew up on the streets together taking care of Bolin and just trying to survive. But when Mako is warped into the Triple Threat Triad gang it will take every bit of strength Korra has to protect all of them from the dangers of Republic City.

Only You Can Reach My Heart~

The girl is dressed in nothing but satin-laced panties and bra. She takes her client by the hand and leads him down a dim hallway, into a private room.

"I normally don't take such hurried requests," she pushes him down onto the bed and unstraps her bra. The man's eyes boggle at the sight of her breast and he immediately starts to touch them.

"Not yet, first you gotta pay."

"Of c-course," he stammers and hands her a wad of yuans. She smiles and tucks it somewhere safe.

"Let's have some fun," she whispers into his ear. She can already feel his member go hard beneath her. Korra rotates her hip and waits till the man is practically screaming before she slides herself in. He moans and flips her onto her belly. For the next twenty minutes, she just grits her teeth and waits.

Korra hears the man snoring beside her. She silently slips out of the bed and grabs her clothes. With only a robe, she rushes out into the night air and quickly hails a taxi. The driver gives her a look but says nothing.

"Look away," she commands." He does as he is told. Korra discards the robe and slips into her usual garb. She pulls her hair out of their tresses and combs it with her fingers. Maybe when she has had a hot bath and a decent meal she will feel less like a whore. Finally they arrive at an apartment complex. She hands the man a 10 and slams the door. Mako will be furious, she knows. A yellow slip on the door has never seemed so menacing. When she came home and found it, she hadn't said a word; just crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. Mako worked so hard at the powerplant. He came home every night just at the crack of dawn with black circles around his eyes with only enough strength to make it to the couch. In fact, that was how she found him now. He was slumped over the armrest with both arms dangling. Korra carefully positioned him to where he would be more comfortable, removed his shoes and shirt, and slid a thin blanket over him. She left him like that and went to wash the guilt off her own body.

Korra owed Mako her life. He had found her wandering the streets when he was ten years old. He had nothing nor nobody save his little brother, Bolin. But he had offered help to her anyways. He had given her food, shared their shelter, and even heated her when it was cold. She could remember a many nights when they would just lie awake under the stars, laughing and telling each other their dreams. Mako took everything and gave it all to his baby brother. Never once did she hear him complain. He loved with all his heart, but you could only see it if you looked deep enough. His emotions were a treasure chest buried deep within, key long gone.

"Breakfast," Mako calls and everyone scrambles into the kitchen. Bolin scarfs his down, Korra right behind him.

"Where were you last night, Korra?" Mako asks her, sitting down with his own bowl of rice.

"You know where I was."

"Damnitt Korra!" He slams his fist down on the table hard enough to send Pabu scampering up Bolin's shoulder.

"We needed the money. I don't mind doing it."

"I mind! You're not doing it anymore." He digs into his bowl not looking at her. This, of course, makes her furious. She was not one to be shut out.

"And how do you propose we make a living? Off your measlely earnings at the powerplant? That's barely enough to put food on the table."

"I could get a job," Bolin says meekly.

"NO!" They both shout at the same time.

"We'll talk about this later, Korra. I've got stuff to do now." He storms out the door, leaving only Korra and Bolin at the table.

Korra places an arm around Bolin and embraces him. He's only thirteen and shouldn't be seeing stuff like this.

"It will be alright. How about we take Pabu to the park today?" He smiles readily and soon forgets about everything.

Korra never thought she would be good with kids. She was hot headed, immpatient, and they most of them were sticky. But Bolin was a great kid with a wonderful personality and a big heart. Mako had taught him street smarts, manners, and how to survive. But Korra made sure to teach him how to have fun and not to sweat the small things. Bolin didn't seem to notice that they were poor. If he did, he didn't mind. Mako always made sure that he had what he needed. Bolin never went without.

"The Era of Bending is coming to a close! Amon is now in power and he will do what he can to bring equality to Republic City!"

What was he talking about? The Era of Bending?

"While the Avatar trains at the North Pole, Amon trains here waiting for her!" At this a huge cheer went through the crowd. Korra's fist shook and she knew she was about to do something she would regret.

"You guys are wrong! Bending is the coolest thing in the world!" The crowd turned to face her and the protester's face cracked into a smile.

"Well, if it isn't a bender here now trying to oppress us!"

"I'm not oppressing anybody! You-you're oppressing yourselves!" She dragged Bolin away as fast as she could.

"Korra, what were those people talking about? Bending isn't bad is it?"

"No. Those people are just idiots."

Korra blasts the tap on hot and slides into the tub with relief. The bathroom was her one refuge and the waterbender liked nothing better than to submerge herself in her natural element after a long day. She is almost to her happy place when the door bangs open and an angry Mako strolls in.

"Hey, have you ever heard of knocking?"

He sits down on the edge of the tub oblivious to her naked form.

"Mr. Cool Guy, I just asked you a question." She splashes him with water.

"I got another job today," he says soberly. "It pays…a lot."

"Well, that's great isn't it?" He is silent for a moment.

"I'm working for the Triple Threat Triads." For a moment Korra thinks her hearing has gone bad. The Triple Threat Triads were a multi-bending gang that cheated, stole, and murdered for money.

"Are you crazy? Those guys are completely insane!" In response he pulls out a wad of cash and shoves it in her face.

"This is thirty thousand yuans. And that's just the money up front! Korra, we could get out of the slums. We could be rich! Bolin could go to school…"

"Yeah, but at what cost? Your life?"

"You won't have to sell your body anymore Korra." She brushes her hand against his. Finally she just wraps him in an embrace and holds him for what seems like hours. He buries his neck in the crook of her shoulder and she could feel all the worry and fear rolling off of him. Gods bless him, he was only eighteen.

"Soak in the tub with me and let's not worry about things for a while." Mako shrugs off his clothes and slides in the warm water with her. He leans back against her chest while she lazily strokes his back. They stay like this until the water turns cold and their fingers pruny.

To Be Continued

Mako hears the roar of the engine before he actually sees the car. A golden front with solid red paint. The Triple Threats signature. The car pulls up beside him and the door pops open. He slides in with two other members who eye him hungrily. The car is thick with cigar smoke.

"So Mako," a man who goes by the name of Shady Shin wraps his arm around him. "Glad to have to some, uh, fresh meat. What made you change your mind." The man's voice is slippery and laced with inner motives. Mako swallows the urge to punch him in the face.

"Need the money."

"Hey, don't we all. And you of all people should know a lousy job at some factory ain't going to bring in the dough."

"Why don't you shut up for once, Shin. We're here to talk business." Two-Toed Ping spreads a map out in front of them.

"I suppose you've heard of the Red Monsoons?" Mako faintly remembers hearing the name somewhere but isn't to knowlegable on the subject.

"I've heard the name being tossed around before."

"Those assholes invaded our territory last night. They stole over half a million yuans from us. We plan to get it back." Shady Shin punches his fist together.

"The gang resides in Yue Bay down to the stretches of Mo Ce Sea. They only consist of water benders. It ain't going to be easy infilterating their territory." Two-Toed Ping studies the map, tracing his finger along the coast of Republic City.

"Ha! If Zolt ain't worried about no stinkin' water bender, then neither am I."

The car finally stops out front a dilapitated house. Guards are stationed by the door. Mako follows Shin and Ping as they knock four times and are admitted. A raspy voice greets them as they walk inside. Involuntarily Mako pulls his scarf over his mouth.

"What took you girls so long?" Lightning Bolt Zolt turns around and scowl at them. Mako knows not to cross this guy. He was one of the most wanted men in Republic City for thefts and murders. Zolt smiles at Mako and blows a smoke ring in his face.

"Well, looks like we got us another pretty face." He glances over at Shin and Ping and chuckles. "Maybe the only pretty face. I hope you boy's breifed him. We're invading the Red Monsoons territory in two days. The full moon passes tomorrow and is reborn again. I want to hit them while they're weak."

"Why are they called the Red Monsoons?" Mako asks.

Zolt laughs at this. "Because they die the waters red with the blood of their victims." Suddenly lightning appears at the tip of the old man's fingers. He jabs them into Mako's side. The room is filled with his screams and a coppery taste enters his mouth. He falls to the floor, jolts shivering up and down his body.

"That's a warning. You mention this to anyone, we will find you and we will end you."

Mako can only clutch his side and wait for his breath to ease.

Korra sits at the base of Avatar Aang's statue and stares at the full moon. She feels the energy pass through her and fill her with power. But something else is present tonight. Korra can feel a light presence stir within her body. Korra almost knows nothing about her childhood. All she can remember from her past was that it was filled with whiteness. And then… nothing. Just the industrialized world of Republic City. Korra doesn't regret growing up with Mako and Bolin. She wouldn't trade those years for anything. But in the back of her mind, she can feel a piece of her that is missing. Korra spots a boat in the water and suddenly she can see Mako riding towards her. His hair is tousled from the wind and his cheeks have a slight flush to them. Korra helps him up onto the statue and she punches him in the arm.

"Where were you all day?"

"Just out doing errands." He rubs his side absent-mindedly.

"I hope one of those errands was telling the Triple Threats that you're not interested in being apart of their little gang." Mako doesn't respond.

"How much does the full moon affect you, Korra?" The question catches her off guard.

"I feel really powerful. I feel like I've been injected with some kind of super strength and that nothing in the world can stop me. Why?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You're acting really strange tonight. Are you okay?" Instead of answering, Mako does something that completely takes Korra off guard. He leans into her and closes the gap with a kiss. It was so soft, that she barely even felt it. Just a moment and then it was over. Before she can react or even respond, he gets up and climbs back in the boat, rowing back to their apartment.

The Triple Threats started preparing at the crack of dawn. The air was filled with mist and chilled Mako to the bone. A couple of lower members of the threats started loading the motor boat that Zolt had "borrowed" from the dock. Deep in the depths of his heart, Mako didn't want to do this. But if these people were criminals, was it such a bad thing? A whistle cut through the air, signaling everyone to haul in. Shin would be moving them across the water with his bending. Mako blasted fire from his mouth trying to get warm.

"You nervous?" Two-Toed Ping smirked at him. "These people ain't nothing to take lightly no matter what the boss says."

"I'm not nervous. I rise with the sun."

Two-Toed Ping laughed and didn't say anything else. Truthfully, the Red Monsoon did scare him a little bit. He had seen what a water bender could do first hand. Once, when they were little, a man had tried to steal what little food they had to eat. Korra became so enraged than the entire river had swarmed around her and washed the guy away. He ended up at the edge of Aang Memorial Island. If one water bender could do just that, imagine what a whole gang of them could do?

"Shin, when I give you the signal, make sure we aren't seen. I don't want any indication that we're coming. We're going to jump ashore and give it all we got. I sense anyone holding back, and it's going to be hell tp pay when we get through."

"Our target is Kwai Shi. He's head honcho and the most powerful bender in the gang. You leave him to me." Zolt echoes.

An hour passes. Then another. Until finally, Zolt holds up two fingers and Shin starts shrouding the motor boat in a heavy fog.

"Mako, Li, you'll be heading out first so be ready." Thirty more minutes pass and then finally they reach the shores of Yue Bay. Another finger and Mako and Li are out of the boat and into Red Monsoon territory.

Mako is shocked by what he sees. Standing before him is a village. With children playing games and mothers swaddling babies. People who are bending fish from the water and into barrels trying to feed theirselves. A village that is starving. A village that needs food and supplies desperetly.

Suddenly all the firebenders are on the shore. They let out huge walls of flames, setting houses on fire and sending people scattering. Mako can hear the screams of women and children. They run towards the beach and bend water trying to wash the flames away. It does no good. Shin and Ping are out next. Shin uses their own water bending against them and freezes them in an icy prison. A few who have made it halfway up the beach quickly comes tumbling down with a stomp of Ping's foot.

"Don't forget why we're here! Find Kwai. I know he's here!" Zolt seizes a woman cowering nearby and hauls her into a building.

"Where's Kwai?" He bellows, throwing her to the floor.

"I-I don't know."

Fire appears in the palm of Zolt's hand. "Yes, you do. Now tell me or you and this building can go up in smoke."

At first she says nothing, but when Zolt moves his hand she yells, "Stop! He's at the house at the very top of the beach."

Zolt smiles. "Thank you very much." And with a flick of his wrist, she and the entire building go up in a ring of fire.

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Mako snatches at Zolt's hand but it's too late. The entire building is now one giant flame.

"What the hell are you doing? We're here only for Kwai!" Zolt turns and smacks Mako across his cheek, sending him lying face down in the sand.

"These people stole from me, you hear that boy? No one makes a fool of Lightning Bolt Zolt." He leans down to where Mako can smell the must wafting off his breathe.

"You get in my way, I'll burn you as well." Mako spits and sputters out sand as Zolt continues torching the entire village.

"Come out, Kwai! You coward."

Suddenly everything is covered in fog. Mako tries to locate Shin, Ping anybody but to no avail. The whimpering of the people have stopped and even the crackling of the fire has ceased. A cold chill snakes up Mako's spine.

"Stop hiding, we'll find you!" Zolt shouts again. "Shin, help us out here." Shin goes to bend the mist away, when one of his arms are ripped behind his back. He lurches to the ground, panting.

"Stop fooling around! Get up!"

"I-I can't," he shouts. Mako grabs Shin by the shoulder and hauls him to his feet. Shin's knee connects with his ground and his grip loosens.

"I'm sorry, Mako. I don't know what's going on." Shin's eyes are wide with fear. "I-I feel like I can't breathe." He watches in revulsion as the loose skin around Shin's body tightens. Suddenly the water bender vomits a sea of blood, dying Mako's vision crimson. He swipes the bile away only to look down and see a hollow shell of what was his former comrade.

"What the hell?"

"You shouldn't have come. You're a waste of time to powerful benders such as us. Leave this island at once and no one else need suffer the fate of your friend."

"Maybe we should listen to him boss," Ping and Mako watch as the tides drift over Shin's body and cleanse him of the blood. Soon the waters are dyed red…

Zolt lets out a screech. His palms light up with fire as he dives head first into the mist. Mako and Ping are right on his tail as they ascend deeper and deeper into Red Monsoon territory.

Korra wakes up to the smell of smoke. She leaps out of bed and leads Bolin out of their apartment. Crowds are gathered outside as in the distance, a huge fire is smoldering. She looks around frantically but spots him nowhere.

"Shit, Mako. What have you done?" She whispers to Bolin to go back inside. Then she runs. She runs past people who are staring at Yue Bay in shock and whispering to each other in stilled whispers. Korra cursed that stupid boy in her head. That same boy who made shapes out flames and made them dance for her when she was sad. The same boy who mothered Bolin and her and always went without so they could have more. That same boy who watched his parent's get cut down right in front of him. He had told her in secret, that it had taken him weeks to use his fire bending again. He said he even hated himself. He only convinced himself to use it when their hands were numb from the cold and their noses bright red. That stupid, stupid boy.

Two quick jabs in her side and she was out.

They quickly lose sight of Zolt through the mist. An ominous feel is in the air and Mako wonders what kind of power these people possess to do something like that to a human being. He uses the fire in his palm as a guide and wanders through the houses on the upper part of the beach. They're fancier and more well constructed. Whoever was controlling these people, they were doing so by fear. Mako kicks down one of the doors and goes inside. There isn't much, just a pile of books and a desk. Abruptly he spots a poster on the wall of a man wearing a white mask. A red dot is in the center of his forehead. A knife has been jabbed through it.

"You need to get away from here." Mako jumps at the voice. He turns around and faces a beautiful girl dressed in white. Her hair has splotches of blood caked in. Her face is streaked with tears and she looks desperate.

"They'll kill you, if they catch you. Your people shouldn't have come here."

"We were only trying to take back what is ours." He reaches out to try and help her but she swats his hand away.

"Leave before they find you."

"Who are 'they'? And what did they do Shin?" Her green eyes cast downwards and she seems desperate, almost afraid of him.

"The spirits have granted a great gift to the leaders of this place." Mako grabs her wrist and forces her to look into his face.

"They're hurting you, aren't they? Whatever it is they can do, they use it on their own people." She says nothing but she doesn't have too. Her silence answers all.

"Please lead me to them."

She takes his hand and leads him out of the room. "I'll do it on one condition."

"What?"

"You have to help free my people."

The girl was a great help with navigating the island. She knew the ins and outs and the secret back routes to use so they wouldn't be found.

"This place is ruled by only three leaders, but the people do all their dirty work. Rarely ever do they show their faces. My father's one of them." As she is talking, Mako can't help but notice how pure she looks. Her face is free of any paint. He could see her porcelain skin so very clearly.

"The village thrives off of the money we collect each time. Every one of us has a quota to meet. If we don't meet it…"

"I didn't realize that it was this bad. Haven't you ever tried to escape?" She lifts up the hem of her dress and shows him a scar on her leg.

"Once."

They're lying scumbag, Mako knows. But he hopes at least Two-Toes is all right.

"If you want a chance to save your friends, we must hurry. If darkness falls, there is no escaping." Water hits Mako square in the chest, and suddenly the girl is there freezing it and sending ice daggers in their direction. They bury deep within their target and he falls with a thud.

"It's kill or be killed." She states as Mako stares wordlessly at the bleeding corpse on the ground.

Thirty minutes of trudging through sand and mist, did they finally reach the very upper level of the beach. A huge house greets them. Mako steadies his breath before finally trudging up the dunes to meet it. The girl starts to follow him but he holds her back.

"It would probably be better if I went alone." She pushes past him, ignoring him. He follows her as they squeeze their bodies up against the side of the house. For a solid second, Mako swears the earth has gone still. Then with a powerful blast from his foot, the door bursts open.

Zolt and Ping are lying on the floor unconscious. Three men stand in the middle of the room staring at him in pure anger. But it was the third guy, in the room that really shocked him.

"Tarlock? What are you doing here?"

Korra's eyelids slowly flutter open. She's in a dark room. Her head is swimming and she can't feel her arms. She tries moving them but quickly finds that she is encased in metal chains.

"Where am I?" She whispers into the void.

"That's a good question, little girl. But the real question is…where have you been?" A cold clammy hand clasps her chin.

"I know who you are.


	3. Chapter 3

The girl pushes past him and rushes to a man standing by Tarlok.

"Papa! I'm so glad you're alright."

"Tarlok, why are you here? You're supposed to be on the Council! These people are murderers." Zolt and Ping are drenched in their own blood, icy chains covering their wrists. A raspy laugh escapes from him, water slamming his body down to the ground.

"You don't understand anything, do you boy? The Triads and the Red Monsoons have bigger problems to worry about than their damn civil war." A poster flutters down to rest by his cheek. It was the same exact one he saw in that house; of the man in the mask.

"His name's Amon. He won't rest until every last bender in Republic City is gone. I've come to convince these fools what a real threat they face."

A growl explodes from somewhere in the room. "Ha! He can try to take our bending. Let him step foot on our beaches. Let him see what we can do." Mako assumes this to be Kwai talking.

"Some men from our very own police force have had their bending taken away. I-I don't know how he did it, but it's permanent."

A shudder works its way through Mako's body. He tries to imagine life without the sun enriching him with its energy or feeling the gentle heat of the flames on his fingertips.

"We are not afraid."

"What could possibly takes someone's bending away?" Mako questions. A powerful rip tears through his body.

"Shut it, boy! You should count your lucky stars that I don't cut your arms off and feed them to the elephant seals!"

"Calm down, Kwai. I'm arresting these three. They'll be taken in for questioning." He pauses for a moment. "At least consider my proposal."

"Hmm!"

The unconscious gang members were thrown in the back of a police vehicle. At least Mako got to ride up front.

"Why are you arresting me? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You think being an accessory to theft and murder makes you innocent? Ha! That's rich." Mako did not like this man so far. He exuded confidence and leadership. He was manipulative and cunning. He also smelled like a lady.

"I have a little brother to feed. I can't go to jail." Tarlok didn't say anything for quite a long time. He tried to manage how Bolin would function without him? He supposed Korra could take care of him, but that just wouldn't be the same. He was the only family Bolin had.

"I suppose we can work something out."

"What do you mean?" Tarlok just smiled at him.

"Can Amon really take someone's bending away? I mean, only the Avatar has ever done that."

"I've seen it done myself. They call themselves the Equalists. They're chi-blockers; they can temporarily take a person's bending away. Amon has found a way to do it permanently."

"Why were you recruiting the Red Monsoons to help you?"

"Because Republic City needs all the help it can get. I mean, we don't have an Avatar to rely on. We need to start taking matters into our own hands."

Tarlok drops Mako off at home, telling him to be at the station tomorrow morning. Mako is surprised to find that the apartment is pitch black since its only 8 in the afternoon. The door is unlocked and Mako rushes inside to find a trembling Bolin wrapped up in a corner.

"Bolin! Are you alright?" He wraps his brother into his arms and rocks him. Bolin clutches his shirt collar tightly.

"Where's Korra?"

"S-she never came back! She went to look for you but she never came back!" Mako hugs Bolin even tighter.

"I'm so sorry, Bolin."

Mako arrives at the station in the morning. He rushes to where they're keeping the gang members.

"Where is she, you son of a bitch?"

Zolt sneers at him through the bars. "Don't act all high and mighty. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be locked up in this jail cell. Nice how you're out there and we're in here."

"You should punish me then, not her. What, did you order one of your boys to abduct her so I would play along? Tell me where she is, now!" He pounds his fists on the bars.

"I don't know who you're talking about. But I promise you, you're going to feel a hell of a lot worse than this when I get out."

Mako reaches through the bars and grabs Zolt's collar. He almost lands a punch when someone jerks him away.

"Stop baiting our prisoners, Mako. You don't want to be in there with 'em do you?" Tarlock places a hand on Mako's shoulder and leads him away.

"Come, let's talk." The councilman leads him into a small room with various statues and stacks of paperwork.

"I figured out a way you can reduce your sentence."

"I don't care about that now. Someone very important to me is missing and I need to find her." Tarlock steeples his hands together and places them under his chin.

"You're not going to find her rushing blindly through the city and making prisoners want to kill you. I'll help you find her if you do something for me in return."

"What?" He asks cautiously.

"Come with me to an Equalist rally tonight."

"Why ask me? Why not someone more experienced?"

"Because if anything goes wrong, I won't be losing anyone important."

Mako slips his red scarf high over his face and follows Tarlock to a seemingly abandoned building. A man greets them at the door.

"Invitation please." Tarlock shows him a slip and they slip inside. Mako gasps at how many people have turned up.

"I can't believe this many people hate benders so much." Mako whispers.

"People will follow anything if they think it will make them stronger." Tarlock muscles his way through the crowd, Mako close behind. They edge their way to the front and watch as smoke fills the stage.

"What's happening?"

"Looks like Amon is about to make his appearance."

The smoke clears and the man who Mako saw on the flyers appears on the stage. A powerful presence exudes from him.

"Welcome my brothers and sisters. We gather here today to celebrate a fine victory against benders. Many of you may wonder why I am on such a quest to spread equality in this world. Well, the answer is easy. Benders have always taken what they thought was theirs. Like my face, for instance."

Amon pulls his mask away and reveals a horrible disfigured patch of flesh beneath it. The crowd gasps and suddenly wells up in anger.

"Yes; a bender did this to me. Right after he killed my parents. But I have been chosen to lead us out of our bonds and into freedom."

He snaps his fingers and a covered cage is wheeled out onto the stage.

"For years this revered being has been hidden away. But now I have found her. And she is mine." With one swift movement he uncovers the cage and there lays a half unconscious Korra, beaten and covered in her own blood.

Mako shoves the people in front of him out of the way and rushes towards the front. Tarlock tackles him and holds him back.

"Wait! We must not make a scene. We're in a room full of people who hate us remember?"

"But that's Korra! I have to do something!"

"Just wait. An opportunity will present itself."

Amon laughs and gestures towards the cage. "Yes, my friends. This is the revered Avatar who is supposed to save us all. Well she doesn't look so very powerful to me. I'm about to show you something that the gods have bestowed onto me. The Avatar has abandoned us all. Now I will make sure she can no longer oppress us."

"Tarlock, let me go."

Amon unlocks the Korra's cage and drags her to his feet. He moves her into a sitting position and places his thumb and forefinger on her forehead.

"I will take away this girls bending. This world no longer needs an Avatar." A strange light bursts from Korra's eyes. He can see her body slowly start to grow weaker.

"Stop," he shouts. Mako pushes himself away from Tarlock and rushes towards the stage. Amon removes his finger and Korra collapses onto the ground.

"Amon, let her go." Fire bursts from his fingertips and straight at Amon's charred face. He quickly evades his attacks and gives two swift punches to his arms. He falls to the ground where Korra lay.

"Mako," she croaks out.

"See, me brethren this is what happens when benders rule. Not anymore. You can take your precious Avatar, boy. Her bending is no more."

To Be Continued


	4. Chapter 4

Korra had wanted to die. When Amon had stood over her, declaring her the Avatar to everyone, announcing that she was a complete failure, she had just wanted to fade away. Korra had always felt that a part of her was missing; but having been denied a huge part of her, dangling it in front of her and then just taking it away.

She didn't know where she was; somewhere in a bed. Mako had been to see her almost every day. He was constantly by her bed-side telling her stories or just stroking her telling her that it was all going to be all right. Each time she had turned away, refusing to see him. She just couldn't face the world right now.

"Remember when we were little, Korra and we first met? It was snowing and you were attracted to the fire that I had built?"

_Mako strokes the fire with his fingers, hoping that soon the heat will spread over both of them. He had always hated the snow. It meant less food and harder nights for Bolin. He pulls out the fish that he had caught from the river and held it over the fire. A handful of snow hits the back of his head, fish falling into the embers. _

"_Ahh! Who's there?" He's suddenly on high alert and ready to fight off anyone who tries to take their meal, but he finds no one. _

"_What the-?" _

"_Mako!" He turns to the sound of Bolin's voice and is surprised to see a small girl huddled by the flame. The fish he had been cooking was hanging out of her mouth, grease streaking the sides of her mouth. _

"_Hey, that was mine!" She had a wild look about her. The sapphire blue of her eyes, glowing wildly in the night. _

"_Well, it's mine now. You've gotta deal with it!" Another snowball found its way into his face and when he finally had rid all the snow from his eyes, she was gone. _

Korra could feel the wetness of her tears on the bridge of her nose as Mako spoke. Of course she remembered that day. That was when she found home.

Korra made sure that everyone was asleep before she crept out of her room. She was in unfamiliar hallways as she made her way outside and down to the beach. The water no longer pulled her like before. The moon was a sliver of a smile tonight; she did not feel its energy. The waves felt cool as she waded in. Her fingers traced along the current as it pulled her body along.

'Maybe,' she thought. Korra shifted into stance and inhaled through her nose, exhaled through her mouth.

The only water that came was the tears from her eyes. Mako found her hours later collapsed on the sand.

The next morning, clothes were setting on the foot of Korra's bed. She stared at them for a second then just pulled the covers back over her head.

"Get showered and dressed, Korra. You've moped long enough." She started at the sound of Mako's voice. His golden eyes were boring into her.

"I've got someone for you to meet." He closes the door behind him.

A kind woman named Pema leads her to the washroom. She says nothing to Korra, just smiles and rubs her shoulder all motherly. It seems so ironic to Korra that she is now bathing in something that she can no longer bend or maybe that's just the way she will always be thinking. The water feels nice against her bruised skin. Korra hasn't showered in over a week and she knows she smells like it.

The person that Mako wanted her to meet turned out to be Tenzin, the Avatar's son. If that wasn't a cold slap in the face, she didn't know what was. Korra almost turned and walked out of the room.

"Korra, wait. Just listen to what he has to say." She huffs and sits down at the table. Three kids were goggling her with fascination. The youngest one had a snot bubble coming out of his nose.

"Hello, Avatar Korra. It is an honor to meet you."

"I'm not the Avatar."

"You may be not able to bend but you are still the Avatar."

She shook her head. "I never knew who I was. I never held that title." Tenzin was silent for a moment. He seemed so serious compared to his father.

"You and my father have a lot in common. You were both late bloomers. I assume you know about my father's coming to the world a hundred years late?"

She nods. "Of course, I have. But when he got here, it didn't take him long to end the 100 year war. I-I'm just a failure."

"Korra failure is defines in multiple ways-

"You can call it however you see it but I still am!" A startled silence fell across the room as she banged her fists on the table. "I didn't even know who I was and the person who revealed it to me is hell bent on destroying me! And guess what, he succeeded!" Tears were streaming down her face as she spoke. They all turned into a blur as they clouded her eyes. In the end, she ran out of the room.

Tenzin's kids always found her. No matter how hard she tried to hide, they always were there bouncing and twirling away. Jinora loved to tell Korra about the latest love story she had read in a book. She thought Korra and Mako were perfect for most of the parts. She and Bolin were hitting it off as well and Korra could swear she could see the tiniest hint of a blush creep onto her face whenever he was around. Ikki loved to chatter on about everything. There was nothing she wouldn't say. And despite all her depression, Korra felt herself smile and heart lighten whenever the child was around. And her hair never stayed dry because of Meelo. He was always running around stark naked screaming, "Be the leaf!"

And she was surprised to find how quickly these people wormed their way into her heart. Korra never knowing her own mother found Pema a wonderful substitution. Sometimes they would just sit and talk for hours, Pema softly working a brush through her hair humming. This left Korra wondering if her mother had done the same?

Usually in the evenings, Tenzin would try to teach her how to meditate. She had no patience for it whatsoever and stormed off around ten minutes in.

"Do you know what the difference is between you and everyone else?" Tenzin had asked her one day.

"What?"

"You have an unbreakable connection to your past self. That will remain a part of you know matter if you can bend or not."

"Are you saying that I could still interact with Aang? How is that even possible?"

"The Avatar is the bridge between the spirit and human world. You are that connection. So much more defines an Avatar than bending, Korra. That is something Amon will never understand."

Korra was quiet for a moment, contemplating this information. "I want to do it, I want to talk to Aang."

Tenzin smiled, "Then I will teach you how to open your chakras."

"What will that do? And what's a chakra?"

"A chakra, Korra, is energy within the body that each separately deals with a different emotion. By unlocking all seven chakras, you will be able to go into the Avatar state at will."

Korra found Mako in his room hands steepled together under his chin with a dark look over his face. She rapped on the door. He looked up surprised, met her gaze and smiled.

"I haven't seen you in awhile. Where have you been?" Korra sat on the bed and buried herself deep within his eyes. She never wanted to let them go, never wanted to leave him.

"Are you alright?"

"Can we just not talk now?" He nodded. He reached out and caressed her face, shifting her brown hair behind one ear. She brought his hand down to her lips and kissed them softly grazing each finger across her lips. She brought his hand down further, letting her own wander over his own body.

"Touch me," she whispered. "Let me feel the warmth that I never got to feel." He leaned in and kissed her. Hesitantly at first, but then more eager. He slipped his fingers under her tunic and brought it over her head. He relished the sight of her body, always had. Mako's fingers grazed her nipples making her quiver underneath their touch. A sigh escaped her mouth and soon she was shoving off his shirt just so she could feel the warmth of his skin all over. Wet kisses trailed down her stomach and stopped at the base of her pelvis.

"Are you sure?" he whispered. She tugged her pants off to show, that yes she was indeed sure. She gasped as she felt his tongue go inside of her. Quivers ran up and down her spine and soon she had lost all control and just clawed at the skin on Mako's neck, gasping his name. Finally something much larger than a tongue was inserted, and she had to clamp down on her discarded shirt to keep from crying out. He thrust into her and she moved with him, creating a sensation that she had never felt before. Korra had always been afraid to have an intimate relationship with Mako. Having to degrade herself to that of a lowly brothel girl, she didn't want to feel that way with him. Not like she did with her clients. But Korra soon realized how stupid this thought had been.

He nipped at her neck as he thrust harder and faster. Soon he came inside of her and she just clung to him like a lifeboat.

"Are you alright?" She didn't realize that she was crying until he wiped her eyes.

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Korra." He was silent for a moment, both resting in each other's arms. "I was really scared when I saw you at that rally. We got you here but you still didn't wake up."

"I don't think I wanted to."

"People need you, Korra. I need you."

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she said suddenly. "Tenzin is taking me to Air Temple Island so we can try to open my chakras."

"That's great."

"I don't know how long it will take. Tenzin said once the process has started, it can't be stopped. I may not see you for a while."

Mako didn't say anything for quite a long time. She almost got up and left until he said, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to be here for me until tomorrow comes."

Earth Chakra.

"This chakra is blocked by fear. It is located at the base of the spine." Korra sits in front of Tenzin, lotus position.

"Clear your mind and think of what you most fear."

Korra closes her eyes and soon the visions are coming fast and strong.

_Amon cups her chin as he tells her who she really is. His mask is always smiling, even if behind his mask his face is really scar tissue. _

"_That's not true! I-I can't be the Avatar!" He stares at her and just laughs. _

"_Have you ever even tried?" Suddenly a heat is spreading across her palm and she is making fire. She gasps at the sight of it. _

"_What a shame. The last Avatar, gone 100 years; this one not knowing who she is. The world really is in dire need of a purging." _

_More Equalists come and the fire is quickly extinguished by a few blows to her arms. She tries to summon to fire again but it's gone. The goggles illuminate the darkness. They close in around her, tying up her limbs and gagging her. She lands a kick to one of them, but a strike in the head sends her flailing. She's losing. She's-_

"_Korra, this isn't real. Let all of these images vanish along with your fear." _

_Slowly her breathing starts to calm and their numbers diminish. Soon only Amon is left, then he too quickly disappears only leaving that creepy smile behind. _

"You have opened the Earth chakra."

Sweat is rolling off Korra's face like she's just run a marathon.

"That was horrible."

"It was only the first one."

Water Chakra

"This next chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. What are you most guilty of Korra?"

_Korra is standing in front of Aang's statue. He is a hero, everybody loves him because he restored peace to the world. The image fades and Korra is standing in front of camera crews as they snap photos and wave the newspapers, headliners read: Avatar Found, Bending Taken Away by Amon._

"_Where were you, Avatar?" _

"_Why didn't you defeat Amon?"_

"_Why did you let him take our bending?"_

"_Where were you when we needed you most?" _

_The questions keep coming and she doesn't know how to answer them. Why didn't she know who she was? Why couldn't she help these people?_

"_Korra, realize that the only path to beginning anew is looking forward. Stop dwelling on the past and move to the present." _

_The people vanish. She is standing back in front of Aang's statue. She bows at him. _

"You have opened the water chakra."

Fire Chakra

"This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame."

_Every night they grow more and more hungry. Mako's wages have been cut at the powerplant. Korra tries to think of anything she can do to try and help put food on the table. Sometimes Bolin is so hungry that he stares at pictures of food, salivating at the pictures. There isn't much work a woman can do in Republic City. So Korra turns to the only thing that she can think of for a woman._

_The pay is good and it helps feed them and buy Bolin better clothes but she can't even bring herself to look at Mako. She can't even look at herself. She feels disgusting. This is the first time in a while that poverty has truly shone its colors. _

"_Let it flow away, Korra." _

_She crashes into Tenzin's arms and cries. _ She doesn't even try to stop them; just lets them all flow down the creek.

Air Chakra

"This chakra deals with love and is blocked by grief."

_Korra doesn't have a home. Her only memory of her child hood is a blinding whiteness. Then nothing. She has always grown up thinking that her parents did not want her. Maybe that's why she ended up in Republic City. _

_But it wasn't all bad. She did meet him. She had followed him around because he always knew where to find food. At first, she stole what she could carry and ran back to the park. But one day he invited her to join them. _

"_If you're hungry, eat with us. You don't have to steal. I know what it feels like." Korra hadn't known what to do at first. But she accepted. And before long they were glued to each other. He showed her tricks with his firebending. She was always so jealous. Oh, how she wished she could do that! Mako and Bolin soon wormed their way into Korra's heart. She finally knew how it felt to have a home. _

"Congratulations Korra, you have opened the Air chakra."

She found that she had a smile on her face.

Sound Chakra

"This chakra deals with truth and is blocked by lies. Specifically the lies we tell ourselves."

_Korra finds herself walking along a path of water. Surprisingly she doesn't sink, just glides right over it. Aang's statue is in the distance and that familiar humming sound is there again. Like something is inside of her, ready to break forth. _

"_Maybe I always knew?" Her eyes turn to the streets of Republic City. "Maybe I just believed that someone from the streets like me couldn't really be someone special." _

_Suddenly a line of people appear in front of her. Aang is in front. He walks up to her and puts his hand on her shoulder. He smiles and she smiles back. _

"Each path of the Avatar is different, Korra. Remember that.

Light Chakra

"This chakra deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of all is that people are separated. That's why my father created this place. For people to live as one."

"_Equality will never be reached as long as benders exist." _

"_So Amon thinking that benders and non-benders are separated is just one giant illusion?"_

"_That's probably the biggest of them all." _

_ Thought Chakra _

"My father had the most trouble with this one. This chakra is blocked by earthly attachments. What are you most attached to Korra?"

_She sees herself and Mako as they play in the snow in the park. She bends herself into a snowman and chases after him. _

_She and Mako lie under the stars as they discuss their dreams and the future. Hands interlaced, heads slightly touching. _

_Mako lights a small fire as the light goes out in their apartment for the tenth time that month. He admits how much of a failure he thinks he is. Korra punches him and tells him to not think like that. _

_She watches as their first night of intimacy takes place. _

"_Let him go." As he starts to fade, Korra almost stops right there. But she is determined to see this through. Mako disappears and a faint light is set in front of her. She can see herself and all the past Avatars. She walks through it. _


	5. Chapter 5

Mako listened angrily as Amon's voice slipped through the speakers of the radio, poisoning the minds of his listeners.

"Citizens, your Avatar has abandoned you. She was powerless against me and now all benders are suffering because of her inept immaturity. Do you want someone as powerless as that to represent Republic City? Non-benders, you have been oppressed for years. Now is the time to join me in my quest for equality and-"

Mako switches the radio off. This wasn't good. They needed Korra here. How long was this spiritual journey supposed to take?

"Hey, Mako you look tired. Are you tired because you miss Korra? Is Korra your girlfriend? Are you going to get married and ride off into the sunset on a cloud of sugar and rainbows?" Ikki bounces around him and he barely has time to process what she's saying before Pema is hauling him up and leading them outside.

"Oogi just landed outside. Tenzin and Korra must be back." Mako rushes out onto the pavilion area where he sees Korra leaping off of the giant sky bison.

"Well, how did it go?" He asks running up to her. She shakes her head and walks into the house. He watches her go, confused.

"Wasn't this supposed to help her? She looks more lost than ever."

Tenzin sighs and puts his arm around Pema. "I'm afraid I'm in the dark as well. Korra wouldn't tell me anything about her journey into the Spirit World. I'm afraid this will have to be handled without bending."

Korra collapses onto her bed, exhausted and confused. What had the moon spirit meant? "In the beginning, people learned from watching the original benders. They copied their movements and thus the world forever changed."

What did that even mean? The spirit had been very beautiful with long flowing white hair and bright blue eyes just like hers. Even with opening all her chakras, Korra still didn't feel any powerful. Nor any more spiritual.

She flips the radio on and hears a voice she will never forget.

"Benders need to be cleansed of their impurities. All benders will fall before me tonight. Just like the Avatar is no more, benders will also be erased from history."

No, they won't. Even if her bending was gone, she was still the Avatar no matter what."

"I will protect those people."

"Listen up," Korra bursts into the living room, practically shattering the doors. "Amon is purging Republic City tonight of benders. We have to stop him."

"What do you plan to do? He's too strong. We should call the police." Tenzin says reproachfully.

"No. I am the Avatar. I'm tired of running. I won't do it anymore. But you're right. I can't do it alone. We're going to need help."

"No offense, Korra, but who's going to be willing to help a fallen Avatar?"

She smirks. "How about some imprisoned gang members?"

Night was falling as they arrived at police headquarters.

"Chief Beifong will never agree to this. It's a ludicrous idea."

"We have to try, Tenzin. This is the only option we have." Almost no officers are inside as they walk up to the front desk and Councilman Tenzin demands to speak with the Chief of Police.

"What do you want Tenzin? I'm busy enough as it is."

"We need your help," Korra bursts in. "People are in trouble and if we don't hurry Republic City is in danger of being taken over."

She doubles over and starts to laugh. "This coming from someone who didn't even know she was the Avatar? That's rich."

"Don't you dare-"

Tenzin cuts her off. "Korra let me handle this. Lin, you know what they are capable of. You've seen what they've done to Korra. And they're about to do it to thousands of more." Tenzin leans so close that their noses practically touch. "Please help us as a protector of Republic City and…and as a favor to me."

She sighs. "I don't owe you any favors but I will help you for my city. What is it that you need?"

"We need you to release the Triple Threat and the Red Monsoon members." Mako says.

"What? I will do no such thing. Those are notorious criminals and infamous crime lords."

"Just let us talk to them."

"Be my guest, I'm sure they would just love to see you."

Korra pulls Mako aside. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, they do want to kill you."

"Yeah, but this is the only way. All the other benders are either to afraid or aren't going to be willing to follow you."

"I won't let them hurt you, Mako. I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

"I ain't doin' nothin for you after what you did! You sold us out for your own personal gain. You're a spineless coward and you deserve to lose your bending."

"We're offering you a chance at freedom here!" Korra shakes the bars of his cage rigorously. "Those people are a huge threat to you. I thought you would jump at the chance to bust some heads."

The Triple Threat leader harrumphs. "What's in it for me?"

"How about a city that's safe?"

"No, I mean what's in it for me?" He rubs his fingers together.

"You will be rewarded for your services, of course."

"Or we could just break his fingers." Korra interjects. Zolt throws his head back and laughs. He summons fire from his fist and bursts the cage door open.

"You and I will get along quite well."

Korra didn't expect for there to be quite so many gangs. There were the Triple Threats, the Red Monsoons, and the Agni Kai's. Also another underground group called Avalanche emerged that was composed entirely of earth benders. They moved underneath the earth and were virtually untraceable. They crowd around Korra looking ready to tear her apart. Tenzin tries to make them understand why they were brought here.

"Why should we help her?" someone calls out.

"Please listen to me," Korra shoves Tenzin aside and addresses them. "I stand before you all in complete awe and I am ashamed. My identity was hidden from me and when I finally found out, Amon took my bending away. I failed each and every one of you. I failed Republic City." She pauses here as a choking sensation overwhelms her.

"But I'm here now. And I will make a difference. I'm not going to fail anymore. I know you don't think I have the right to the Avatar title, but if you could just put that aside and help me defeat this person who wants to purge you all, I promise you a better Republic City. Please allow me to be your Avatar." Korra lowers herself onto her knees, lays her head on the ground, and bows before them all. At first nothing happens, then Mako taps her on the shoulder and Korra looks up to see everyone in the room kow-towing before her.

"Thank you! Thank you all. Now let's go kick some Equalist ass!"

The crime lords hide in the shadows as Oogi takes them to the center of Republic City. Korra can see a huge crowd of people below lining up before Amon.

"They're lining up for their own demise." Each bender steps on the stage as Amon places his thumb and forefinger on their forehead. They crumble off the stage and the lieutenant carts them off.

"There's no telling how many he's purged already." Mako says quietly. "We need to hurry." Tenzin pulls on the reigns and starts to land. The people start to scatter as the giant bison touches earth. Korra slides off the back of the bison's tail and shoves her way through the crowd.

"Amon, this stops now!"

Amon releases his finger from the victim's forehead and he collapses. He offers a low chuckling laugh. "That's very amusing Avatar. And how do you plan to stop me without your precious bending?"

"I don't need my bending to stop you."

Amon just chuckles again.

"How about it Amon; just you and me. No bending. Just us." Amon steps off the stage and crosses the sea of people until he is right in front of Korra's face.

"If that is how you desire it, let it be so." He takes a defensive stance and reaches in to jab her shoulder. She avoids it just barely, crouching to her knees and kicking his feet out from under him.

"Now!" She shouts. Avalanche members burst from the ground, rock covering their bodies as they fling huge walls of earth at the Equalist leader. His followers leap forth, using electric rods to fail the benders. Korra rushes in to help, but is knocked back by the stampede of the rushing crowd.

"Now bloodbenders!" The Equalists suddenly freeze and crumple to the ground. Amon seems momentarily crippled but isn't to affected. He races towards Korra, cupping her face in his hand.

"You choose to hide behind benders than face me yourself? You're a coward." Suddenly Mako is there and punches him in the jaw. The upper hand seems to be theirs until Amon gives a whistle. Huge metal like machines rumble forward and out onto the battle field.

"Meet my newest invention, Avatar. I was saving it for the taking of the city but I guess now will do." The Avalanche members hurl stones at the faces of the machines. It bounces off the glass like pebbles. Tenzin races forward on his wheel of air, knocking Equalists away.

"Korra, we need to fall back! They're too strong."

"No…no it can't end like this." Amon grabs an Agni Kai member and places his thumb atop his head. He falls to the ground.

Korra stares up at the full moon in the sky. "In the beginning, people learned from watching the original benders." She watches as the moon slowly pulls the clouds across its face, then pushing them back again. Pushing and pulling. Pulling and pushing. She takes a deep breath and feels the tide. Push and pull. Pull and push. The tides erupt from their resting place and wrap their fingers around Amon. The water freezes and he is imprisoned in an icy crystal. She feels the water rushing around her as she hovers over Amon.

"How?" Is all he manages to whisper.

"You can never take away a person's bending. It was brought to us in the beginning. It will stay that way until the secret fades."

"Impossible."

"You hid me away from the world didn't you? You stole me from my home."

"I-I thought it would be easier if you weren't trained in that infernal camp. My men stole you and places you in Republic City. If the hunger didn't get you, than we would eventually."

Tears stream down her face. "What about my parent's?"

"They're still alive. They loved you, which made it much more easier."

"My whole life was stolen because of you!" Rage fuels inside of her and bursts through like a dam exploding. Korra's eyes start to glow and everything suddenly starts to erupt.

"Get out of here, now!" Mako shouts as the gang members scramble to avoid the wrath of the Avatar. The crystal holding Amon shatters, sending icy daggers flying his way. He manages to knock them away. But the elements keep coming. Fire bursts from Korra's hands. An element, a few months ago, she didn't even know she knew.

"You will pay for this, Amon. You will atone for your sins." She grabs him by the arm and places a finger on his forehead. A pale light emits from beneath his mask, and then both crumble to the ground.

Mako runs to Korra hauling her into his arms. "What happened? Why is she unconscious?"

"She isn't unconscious. She and Amon are in the Spirit World."

"How can Amon take people's bending away?" She had asked the moon spirit.

"Amon made a bargain with a spirit long ago to grant him special powers. If you kill that spirit, then you kill Amon."

"What's the spirit's name?"

"His name is Koh, the face stealer."

Once again, Korra finds herself in the spirit world. Amon is nowhere to be found but it doesn't matter. She knows what needs to be done. A panda bear appears before her and she hops on its back.

"Please take me to Koh."

They run until a cave can be seen in the distance.

"When you meet Koh, you must remain completely expressionless. If you don't, he will steal your face."

Korra marches into the cave.

"I've met you before twice in a previous life. One of them tried to slay me. Why are you here?"

"I've come to kill you."

Koh laughs and his face changes into a beautiful girl with long flowing black hair.

"You can try but I am the oldest spirit in this realm."

"How do you defeat a spirit with many faces?"

"You first must have no face yourself."

"I'm going to kill you now, Koh. She smiles. He lunges at her and digs his giant teeth into her skin. She feels her face being torn away.

"Koh is in his most vulnerable position at this time, for at this time only does he reveal his true face."

Korra takes this opportunity to stab Koh in the eyes. He howls and pain and jerks away. She digs the stick in deeper, gouging out his eye. He collapses to the floor, blood everywhere. She takes the stick and thrusts it into his other eyes. He howls. Koh truly was an ugly spirit.

"Is that why you steal faces, Koh? Because you hate the way you look?" He whimpers and Korra drives the stick in deeper. The spirit in now completely blind.

"You can no longer steal anymore faces, Koh. All the ones that you did will return." His body starts to melt away until nothing is left but an empty cave.

When Korra comes to, she is lying in Mako's arms.

"Korra! I'm so glad you're alright." He squeezes her tight and caresses her face slowly. "How did you do it? How did you get your bending back?"

"I watched the original one." She points to the moon. She sits up and pulls Amon's mask away. Underneath lies a beautiful face with once deadly motives.

"He said his face was burnt off. I don't understand."

"He gave his face to Koh, in order to gain power. He's nothing more than a man."

1 Year Later

Korra walks up to Mako and throws her arms around him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." In the last year, Korra was blooming more into a realized Avatar. She had already mastered fire and earth. Now she was working on air with Tenzin. Mako, Bolin, and she now lived on the island with Tenzin and their four air bender kids. It feels great to be a part of a family, but there was still one more thing she needed to do.

"I'm going to the South Pole. I want to find my parents."

Mako wraps her into a hug. "I'm sure they will love you as much as I do."

"The thing is, Mako, I need to do this alone." Mako is taken aback but doesn't protest.

"I understand. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. A ship will take me there. I- I really just want to know where I come from. I'm so tired of not being able to remember anything! I want to go and see for myself."

Mako kisses her lightly on the forehead. "Go and do what you need to do. I'll be right here."

Korra hesitates before slowly knocking on the door. A woman answers it. She's beautiful with skin as brown as Korra's and hair braided into two knots.

"Hello mother." She stares at the strange girl for a moment before it finally registers in her mind who is standing in front of her.

"Korra!" She pulls Korra into her arms and kisses her fervently. "We thought you were dead! Tonraq come here!"

A big man comes barreling through the front door. He takes one look at Korra and she is immediately wrapped in his strong arms.

"My girl. Look how strong you've gotten."

"Hello papa."

"Naga will be glad your back."

"Who's Naga?"

Tonraq gives a whistle and a giant polar bear dog erupts from the snow and bounds toward Korra licking her all over the face.

"You found her when you were little. You were the only person to have ever tamed one. I guess you were the only thing meaner than one." He laughs and pats Korra on the back.

They sit around a bowl of sea prunes as her parent's piece together fragments of her forgotten life.

"The signs of being the Avatar came right away. That's when the White Lotus came and took you into that compound where you were supposed to be trained to be a fully realized Avatar." Tonraq explains.

"But then you came up missing and we were never able to find you. We thought you had wandered out of the camp and frozen in the snow. Even Naga couldn't track you down."

"We gave up hope of ever finding you. But now you're here and…look at you! So big and strong."

"I thought I was abandoned. I never knew of my true identity. Amon stole everything from me." Korra looks at her loving parents and smiles.

"But that doesn't matter now."

Korra stays in the South Pole for two months before heading back to Republic City. After everything she had been through, she now has so much more. She has two families and a man who loves her. She grew up with nothing. Now she has everything.

The End


	6. Epilogue

Five Years Later

The mid morning sunshine streams through Mako and Korra's bedroom window. Korra groans and buries her head further into her lover's chest. He laughs as she does so.

"It's just the sun, Korra."

"I don't care," she grumbles. "Mornings are evil." Mako strokes the fullness of her locks and she is almost asleep when suddenly they're bombarded by four air bending children.

"Wake up, Korra! You're parents are coming today." Ikki jumps between the two of them and cuddles up to the very irritated Avatar. At least she has finally grown out of her fast talking stage.

"Ow!" she screeches as little Rohan wraps his tiny fingers around her hair and stuffs it all in his mouth. She picks him up and bundles him in her arms finally resigning herself to the fact that sleep time was now officially over.

"Okay, okay I'm up. Are you happy?"

"We have to get the island ready for your parents, remember? We're still going to cook water tribe food aren't we?" Jinora stands by the bed with a cooking book grasped in her hands.

"Of course we are. You're all still going to help me right? You know what happened the last time I tried to cook."

A chorus of 'yays' fill the room; then finally they are rushing out of the bedroom setting the whole house astir.

Mako just lays beside her and chuckles slightly to himself.

"Oh, and what's so funny, fire bender?" She pounces on top of him and pins him to the bed.

"It's just that I'll be the one doing all the cooking while you go around taste testing everything." He picks her up off him and deposits her on the floor.

"Well you'll just have to deal with it." She pulls him down until he is level with her and kisses him softly on the neck, trailing them all the way to his lips. He is utterly helpless and she knows he is wrapped around her finger now.

"Meelo, don't touch that!" Tenzin bellows thunder down the hallway and both scramble to get dressed before the temple is burned down.

Korra and Jinora set the table as they wait for Senna and Tonraq to arrive.

"Are you nervous for them to meet Mako?" Jinora asks. Secretly this is what Korra has been dreading a little, but she thinks her parents will support her through anything. She had been traveling back and forth between Republic City and the South Pole for years now just to get to know her parents and be back in their lives again.

"A little, but I really just want them to meet everyone who's helped me. I think they'll be really grateful to Pema and Tenzin for letting me stay here.

"We like having you here, Korra. You're like the big sister I never had." Korra is shocked to hear this from the oldest air child who usually masks her emotions and has a serious presence about her.

"I'm always taking care of my brothers and sister, but it's nice to have someone who I can go to and share things with. You know someone who I can stay up late with and talk about…boys with." She blushes at this last part.

Korra giggles and places her hand on Jinora's shoulder. "Well it's nice to have a girl to talk to once in awhile; especially since I've been around boys my entire life." Korra glances over at Mako and Bolin who are shoving each other and splashing dish water everywhere.

The doorbell suddenly chimes and Korra jumps. She runs and flings the door open and there, finally for a long while are her parents. She rushes into their arms as they smother her with kisses.

"Korra we missed you!" She is lifted off the floor and hoisted into her father's huge arms. Pema and Tenzin appear and quickly usher them inside.

"It's a pleasure to meet you finally. Korra has told us so much about you." Pema greets them with hugs as if they've known each other all their lives.

"Korra has you as well! I can't wait to meet everyone." Of course the kids quickly flock to them and start asking them all sorts of questions about life in the South Pole and how could they stand to live somewhere so cold. Korra escapes into the kitchen and finds Mako, who is finishing up the last of the noodles.

"Hey, Mako," she says hesitantly. "Want to meet my parents?" He smiles and intertwines his fingers through hers.

"I'd be honored." She leads into the living room where Tonraq has all the air children in his strong arms letting them play with hair beads.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Mako." Tonraq puts the kids down and crosses over to where Mako is. His face is solemn as he looks Mako over studying him.

"You've helped my daughter survive in this city, so that makes you okay in my book." He claps a hand on Mako's shoulder and flashes a huge grin. Senna places both her hands on his cheeks and brings him down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Good for you, Korra!" Her mom says. "All water tribe women know how to reel in good looking men." Korra's face flushes red at this but Mako just laughs and places an arm around her.

"Hey, is that sea prunes I smell?" Tonraq's nose leads him into the kitchen.

"We fixed a bunch of traditional water tribe food. All ranging from the North to Southern tribes." Jinora states.

"Well good! Let's eat."

Korra slowly traces kisses down Mako's chest letting her tongue leave sticky, wet trails down his abdomen. She smiles up at him as she reaches the egde of his trousers.

"Let's play," she rasps. She undoes them slowly; making him watch as she places the string between her teeth and pulls slowly. They fall loose around him and she shrugs them off into the floor. Mako's breathing catches in his throat as she strokes him, running a finger softly over his slit. He inhales sharply as she replaces her finger with tongue. She positions herself as to where he is inside of her and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out.

"I want you to scream for me. I want you to call out my name and beg for me." She nips at his earlobe and the little soft spot on his neck and it takes everything it has in him not to give in and howl for her.

"Someone will hear," he chokes.

"I know," she sighs. All the life suddenly seems to drain out of her and rolls off of him. "Seeing my parents and how happy they are just makes me want that for us."

"We are happy, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but I missed how it used to be when it was just us and we could do our own thing. Maybe I'm just ready to stand on my own two feet now."

Mako doesn't know what to say to this. Just listens as she continues to speak.

"I've grown so much in the past years. My air bending has gotten better and I'm on my way to becoming a fully realized Avatar. I love living here with Tenzin, but he has his own family to take care of. Maybe it's time we start our own."

"What are you saying, Korra?"

"I'm not saying anything, right now. I just want to see where life takes us. And we can't do anything by staying here."

"I'm more than willing to do anything you want to do Korra."

She smiles and kisses him. "Good because you're kind of stuck with me." She straddles him again and continues to kiss his collar bone.

"Let's finish what we started, shall we?"


End file.
